This week on NVTC’s blog, Alex Castelli, CPA, is partner and Technology and Life Sciences Industry Practice Leader at NVTC member company CohnReznick, explains how crowdfunding has become such an attractive financing vehicle for technology companies.

The technology industry stands out as a major beneficiary of this promising method of capital raising. In 2014, technology was a leading sector in terms of capital commitments – at around $98.5 million – and led the number of raises that have been offered since inception, according to Crowdnetic’s Quarterly Private Companies Publicly Raising Data Analysis.2 Capital commitments in the technology industry trailed only behind the services industry.

So why has crowdfunding become such an attractive financing vehicle for technology companies? And what is required to launch a successful crowdfunding campaign?

Proving legitimacy and demand

Obtaining financing from traditional lenders such as banks, angel investors, and venture capital firms can be difficult for some early-stage technology companies. Crowdfunding offers an additional source for raising capital. Many investors are eager to support innovative ideas or services, and the growing legitimacy among accredited investors to provide financial backing through the internet has contributed to the popularity of crowdfunding. For tech startups, crowdfunding is an effective way to demonstrate to lenders the demand for a product or service and also to justify the company’s financial projections. Technology companies that have successfully secured accredited investors via the web are especially attractive to traditional lenders as their ideas have reached a level of legitimacy and approval.

Testing the markets and building brand awareness

In addition to raising capital, crowdfunding provides a platform for technology entrepreneurs to test the success of their product or service once it is officially on the market. Through this process, an entrepreneur can determine whether to continue investing time and money in a particular product or service based on feedback from potential customers. Doing so avoids involvement in a venture that may ultimately prove to be futile. The exposure of a product or service through crowdfunding offers the ability to build brand awareness and develop a loyal community of customers right from the start. Developing a loyal following can generate word-of-mouth advertising that can boost a startup business to success.

Finding success

There is a commonality among crowdfunding success stories. Deals receiving funding typically have outside sponsors who advocate on behalf of the deal. These are usually prominent investors who are willing to put their names on the deal and endorse them personally. This signals to other investors that it is a quality opportunity. “This is not so different from the way investments have always been done,” said Steven Dresner, CEO of Dealflow. “In the past, one prominent venture capitalist would put a million dollars in a deal, and then the startup could use that as leverage to attract more VC money. Now it is just taking place in a whole new forum.”

What does the future of crowdfunding hold?

Notwithstanding its popularity within the technology industry, to date, equity crowdfunding may be best characterized as a “growing” source of capital formation available to private companies. Entrepreneurs continue to test the market in determining how best to utilize crowdfunding as an alternative strategy for obtaining financing, gaining exposure, validating their products or services, and ultimately, expanding their businesses. The influence of crowdfunding on the middle market sector has yet to be fully realized. However, crowdfunding is on track to not only transform how privately held companies raise capital and interact with investors, but to also influence how businesses formulate and implement their go-to-market strategies.

Alex Castelli, CPA, is a partner and CohnReznick’s Technology and Life Sciences Industry Practice Leader. He can be contacted at 703-744-6708 or alex.castelli@cohnreznick.com. To learn more about CohnReznick’s Technology Industry Practice, visit the company’s webpage and follow CohnReznick on Twitter @CR_TechInd.